Toxic
by Stelena-Beautiful
Summary: An important realization leads Taylor home - into the arms of her one true love, Rick.


**Toxic**

_**A Taylor and Rick story! I am picturing Kyle Lowder as Rick here since he had great scenes with Hunter Tylo!**_

**Chapter 1**

Rick Forrester had only been back under his mother's roof for an hour and already he was itching to get out of there. It wasn't so much the company that irked him but rather what they had to say - a little too joyfully - that had rankled his nerves. Hope had informed him straight away that their mother and Ridge were back together once again and that their reunion had happened on the very same day Ridge was supposed to wed Taylor again. Rick's eyebrows had lifted more than a bit at that revelation.

_"So Ridge was going to marry Taylor and then dumped her at the altar - again?"_

_Hope nodded, obviously noting the disapproving tone in his voice. "Rick, it wasn't like that exactly."_

_"How was it then?"_

_Hope crossed her thin arms. "He didn't want to hurt her."_

_"But he did."_

_Hope splayed her hands in surrender. "I guess..." She sighed. "But at least you have to be glad Ridge and Mom are back together again, right?"_

_Rick shook his head. "Wrong. Ridge isn't good enough to lick the floor Mom or Taylor walk on. Why they keep allowing him to lead them both around by the nose ..." He sighed. "Well I'll never get it."_

_"Mom loves Ridge."_

_"So does Taylor and what has that ever brought either of them but pain and misery?"_

_Hope looked at Rick like he had sprouted another head. "Why can't you just be glad Mom and Ridge are happy and committed again?"_

_"For how long?" Rick asked. "How long till Mom 'messes up' and Ridge throws her aside like yesterday's garbage while running to Taylor to kiss his boo-boos, giving her hope for a future with him, and then running back to Mom when the air has cleared? It's all a vicious, ugly cycle and no one deserves that kind of treatment - least of all Mom and Taylor."_

_"Rick, I don't know what to say. When you dropped in this morning I thought I had my big brother back, that we could really do some bonding this time, but I'm not sure why you came back now if you're being so negative."_

_Rick sighed, rubbing his forehead for a moment. "I honestly don't know either."_

XoXoXo

Brooke noticed Rick pacing anxiously in the living room after breakfast and came over to him, giving him a big hug.

"Hey, son, how are you?"

"I'm good," Rick said.

"Okay try telling me the truth this time. I can always see right through you."

Rick nodded, deciding to be honest with her. "I heard Ridge dumped you, hooked up with Taylor again, and then dumped her at the altar when you two worked things out. I don't understand how such bright women as you two can let that man jerk your chains."

Brooke sighed. "I love him, Rick, even if you don't understand that..."

"I do understand love, Mom. Real love. I've felt it before but this - this is not love. It's an obsession. Both you and Taylor are obsessed with Ridge for god knows what reason."

Brooke stepped away from him like he had slapped her. "That isn't fair, Rick, not at all."

"I just am calling it as I see it."

"Well you don't know all the details, Rick. Thomas let his father believe I had slept with him! He lied about it. Ridge had to believe in his son; especially because I didn't know what had happened either."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Oh, Thomas - up to his old tricks again I see?"

"Well he worked with Stephanie on this one so I can't entirely blame him. She's very persuasive when she wants to be."

"Still, if I'm getting it right, Ridge left you on the word of Thomas only, ran to Taylor, got her hopes up, and then the minute the truth comes out, he comes running back to you and everything is just what - fine and dandy? Why am I the only one that sees the problem here? Ridge is a user."

"This is Ridge's house," Brooke said sternly. "He is letting you stay here, even though you two have had your differences and -"

Rick walked over to his still-packed luggage that was sitting in the hall foyer. "What are you doing, Rick?" Brooke asked.

"You're right, Mom. I can stay under the same roof with a man who broke the hearts of two women I care deeply about over and over. I can't stand it." Then before Brooke could react, he was picking up his luggage and hurrying out of the manse.

XoXoXo

He didn't know where he was going at first almost until he was already there. He had climbed into his Mercedes and peeled off. Before long he was in Bel-Air and heading up into the hills. He had driven this road so many times in the past it was easy to do even with him almost literally on auto-pilot.

He had no idea what he was going to say when he showed up on her doorstep, how he would explain his presence there but he wasn't turning back now. He didn't even really want to. He had in truth missed her beautiful face for so long and even when he was thousands of miles away, she had never been far from his thoughts. He had tried relationships with other women - even ones near and dear to her - but they had never taken. He didn't want to read too deeply into that though, figuring she was just a tough act to follow.

He sighed as he pulled down her tree-lined street and parked along the curb in front of her place. For some reason the place had never looked more lonely up on this hill. He imagined for a moment that it was a fortress she kept herself waiting in for a true prince that would never come.

He climbed out of the Mercedes and nervously ran a hand through his recently shorn locks before heading up the porch steps. He let out a deep breath as he raised his hand to knock. He rapped twice and tried to figure out how she would react to him dropping in on her after all that had happened. She might not care or she might think of him as the enemy - the son of her biggest rival.

The door finally opened and she was standing there in a blue sundress with her wavy, chestnut hair falling all around her shoulders. She looked radiant but then she always had. It was only when you looked very closely that you saw the true toll life had taken on her.

"Rick?" she finally spoke in a hushed voice.

"Hello, Taylor." He said her name almost reverently before asking, "Can we talk?"

TBC


End file.
